Bishop says ‘Pride Month’ activities are harmful to kids, faces huge international backlash

LifeSiteNews ^ | June 3rd 2019 | Doug Mainwaring

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The Maronite (Antiochian’s cousins’) version of the Third Kneeling Prayer:

O Christ our God, the ever-flowing Spring,life-giving, illuminating, creative Power, co-eternal with the Father, Who hast most excellently fulfilled the whole dispensation of the salvation of mankind, and didst tear apart the indestructible bonds of death, break asunder the bolts of Hades, and tread down the multitude of evil spirits, offering Thyself as a blameless Sacrifice and offering us Thy pure, spotless and sinless body, Who, by this fearsome, inscrutable divine service didst grant us life everlasting;

O Thou Who didst descend into Hades, and demolish the eternal bars, revealing an ascent to those who were in the lower abode; Who with the lure of divine wisdom didst entice the dragon, the head of subtle evil, and with Thy boundless power bound him in abysmal hell, in inextinguishable fire, and extreme darkness.

O Wisdom of the Father, Thou great of Name Who dost manifest Thyself a great Helper to those who are in distress; a luminous Light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; Thou art the Lord of everlasting glory, the beloved Son of the Most High Father, eternal Light from eternal Light, Thou Sun of justice! Hear Thou us who beseech Thee, and give rest the souls of our parents, brethren, and the rest of our kinsmen in the flesh, and those who are of the fold of faith who have fallen asleep, and for whom we celebrate this memorial; for Thou hast power over all, and in Thy hands Thou holdest all the boundaries of the earth.

O Almighty Master, God of our fathers, Lord of mercy and Creator of all the races of mankind, the mortals and the immortals, and of all nature, animate and inanimate, of life and of the end of life, of sojourning here and translation there, Who dost measure the years of life and
set the times of death, Who bringest down to Hades and raisest up, binding in infirmity and releasing unto power, dispensing present things according to need and ordering those to come as is expedient, quickening with the hope of Resurrection those that are smitten with the sting of
death. Thyself, O Master of all, God our Savior, the Hope of all the ends of the earth and of those who are far off upon the sea, Who, on this last and great and saving day of Pentecost, didst show forth to us the mystery of the Holy Trinity, consubstantial and co-eternal, undivided and
unmingled, and didst pour out the descent and presence of Thy holy and life-giving Spirit in the form of tongues of fire upon Thy holy Apostles, appointing them to be the evangelists of our pious faith and showing them to be confessors and preachers of the true theology;

Who also, on this all-perfect and saving feast, dost deign to receive oblations and supplications for those bound in Hades, and grantest unto us the great hope that rest and comfort will be sent down from Thee to the departed from the grief that binds them.

Hear us, Thy humble and piteous ones who pray, and give rest to the souls of Thy servants who have fallen asleep before us, in a place of brightness, a place of verdure, a place of repose, whence all sickness, sorrow and sighing have fled away; and do thou place their souls in
the tabernacles of the righteous; and make them worthy of peace and repose. For the dead praise Thee not, O Lord, neither do those in Hades dare to offer Thee confession, but we, the living, bless Thee and supplicate Thee and offer favorable prayers and sacrifices for their souls.

O great and eternal God, holy and loving toward mankind, Who dost make us worthy to stand at this hour before Thine unapproachable glory, praising and glorifying Thy wonders: be gracious to us, Thine unworthy servants, and grant us grace that from a humble and contrite heart we may offer Thee the thrice-holy glorification and gratitude for Thy great gifts which Thou didst grant and dost still grant unto us. Remember, O Lord, our weakness and destroy us not in our iniquities; but be merciful to our humility that, fleeing from the darkness of sin, we may walk in the day of righteousness and, clothed with the a rmor of light, may persevere unassailed from every attack of the evil one, so that with boldness we may glorify Thee in all things, the only true God and Lover of mankind. For in truth, O Master and Creator of all, Thine is
the great and original Mystery; the temporary death of Thy creatures, and their restoration thereafter unto eternal repose. In all things we confess Thy grace, at our entrance into this world and at our going out therefrom, O Thou Who by Thy unfailing promises didst hold out to us the hope of everlasting life, resurrection, and incorruptible life, which shall be ours hereafter at Thy Second Coming. For Thou art the Author of our resurrection, the impartial Judge of those that have lived, the Lover of mankind and the Master and Lord of recompense, Who didst partake with us, on equal terms, of flesh and blood, through Thine extreme condescension, and of our irreproachable passions, wherein Thou didst willingly submit to temptation, since Thou dost possess tenderness and compassion, and Thyself, having suffered temptation , art become for us, who are tempted, the Helper which Thou Thyself hadst promised to be; and therefore Thou hast led us to Thy passionlessness.
Wherefore, O Master, accept our prayers and supplications, and grant repose to our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children, relatives, and kinsfolk, and all those who have gone to their final rest with the hope of resurrection and life everlasting. Set their names and souls in the Book of Life; in the bosoms of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; in the land of the living, the Kingdom of Heaven, in the paradise of delight, leading all into Thy Holy dwelling place by Thy radiant angels, and raise our bodies with Thee on the day that Thou hast appointed, according to Thine unfailing promise. There is no death, O Lord, to Thy departing servants who cast off our bodies and come unto Thee, O God, but a transition from sorrowful things to things pleasant and sweet, to rest and joy. And though we have sinned against Thee, be Thou compassionate unto them and us; for there is none without stain before Thee, even though his life be but a day, except Thou alone, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, through Whom we all trust to attain mercy and the remission of sins.

Therefore, O God, through Thy grace and love of mankind, pardon, remit and forgive our sins and theirs, both voluntary and involuntary offenses, which we have committed either willfully or through ignorance, openly or in secret whether by word, deed, or thought and all our
acts and movements. As for those who have preceded us, grant them emancipation and repose.o those of us who are here, bless us, and give us and all Thy people a blessed and peaceful end to life. At Thy fearsome and dreadful coming open to us Thy fathomless love of mankind,
making us worthy of Thy Kingdom.

O great and most exalted God, Who alone hast immortality and dwellest in the unapproachable light, Who in wisdom didst bring into being all creation, Who hast divided the light and the darkness, setting the sun to rule the day, and the moon and stars to rule the night,
Who on this day didst vouchsafe unto us sinners as worthy through confession to present ourselves before Thy presence and to offer to Thee
our evening praise: O philanthropic God, set our prayers like incense before Thee, and receive them as a sweet fragrance. Grant that this
evening and the approaching night may be peaceful and serene for us. Clothe us with the armor from everything that walketh in darkness.

Vouchsafe that the slumber which Thou didst grant us for rest from our weakness be also free from every satanic imagination. Yea, O Master, Bestower of all good things, may we, being moved to compunction upon our beds, call to remembrance Thy Name in the night that, enlightened by meditation on Thy commandments, we may rise up in joyfulness of soul to glorify Thy goodness, offering up prayers and supplications unto Thy tender love, for our sins and for those of all Thy people, whom do Thou visit in mercy, through the intercessions of the of light, and deliver us from nightly terrors and from everything that walketh in darkness. Vouchsafe that the slumber which Thou didst grant us for rest from our weakness be also free from every satanic imagination. Yea, O Master, Bestower of all good things, may we, being moved to compunction upon our beds, call to remembrance Thy Name in the night that,enlightened by meditation on Thy commandments, we may rise up in joyfulness of soul to glorify Thy goodness, offering up prayers and supplications unto Thy tender love, for our sins and for those of all Thy people, whom do Thou visit in mercy, through the intercessions of the Holy Theotokos.